Help with Sleep

Dave - I was having those panicky wake-ups - before diagnosis and treatment.

I have bart and lyme - take your pick as to what caused it.

I would wake up every couple hours in a panic - gasping for air...I wore a monitor overnight and was diagnosed with sleep apnea (mostly obstructive with some central)
I had phlegm in the bottom of my throat...and my husband said the sounds I made were freakish.

I do wake up a few times in the night now, but not panicky - a little bit of anxiety sometimes...but I go back to sleep. No more gasping for air...no more freakish sounds.

Gave me a CPap to trial for a month. Did not help one iota. Still woke up same amount of times in a panic. And my sleep was worse because I couldn't handle the contraption. I sleep on my back and my side - so as soon as I would flip over - it would ruin the fit with the contraption on my face.

I don't know how anyone sleeps with that contraption anyway.

So, I also had a barium swallow xray (ugh - radiation) - nothing. (I also had a sensation of a lump in my throat)

Then I was sent to an ENT Dr. - he put a tube through my nose with a camera - to look at it while i swallowed. He filmed it and showed it to me. No irritation on my vocal cords...or anything else that he saw.

Diagnosis: sleep apnea.

When I asked the sleep 'people' why all of a sudden i had this (I didn't know I had lyme yet) - they said...."Oh you've had this for many years" (NOT TRUE) - My husband said there's no way I've had it for years - I was a quiet sleeper up to that point.

Well, I haven't been tested again for sleep apnea - that would be a good idea.

But, I don't wake up in a panic - gasping for air anymore. I'm thinking maybe the panic was a reaction to not breathing.

Well - the test results said I had 'obstructive' sleep apnea...which is why the C-pap is supposed to work - it forces the air in - past the obstruction - which is usually - the laxity of your muscles in the airway.
The central sleep apnea is a 'signalling' problem in the brain. I definitely have lyme in my CNS - so not surprised I would have some central sleep apnea.

No one has said that it's because of lyme - but me - I say this because it came on suddenly with all my other lyme symptoms...and has gotten better. I don't know if it's completely better - I guess I could wear the monitor again.

The sleep apnea issues actually got somewhat better prior to treatment - maybe just the lyme symptoms waxing/waning.
And, continued to improve since treatment.

Wow I'm sorry Girlie...that's good that you were able to find some relief...I hope it completely resolves for you, sleep is so important. What kind of monitor are you referring to?